This past weekend I was lucky enough to get to see the Giostra del Saracino, the Saracen Joust, here in Arezzo. It happens twice a year, once in June and again in September. The Quartieri, the four neighborhoods in Arezzo, compete by having two jousters per quartieri try to hit the center of a target while riding their horse towards the wooden Saracen. The neighborhood with the most points at the end wins and is awarded a Golden Lance made by a local carpenter in Arezzo. The four neighborhoods are, Porta del Foro, Porta Crucifera, Porta Sant'Andrea, and Porta Santo Spirito. I live in Porta Crucifera. I had no idea how serious they are about the competition. It reminded me of an OU v. OSU game or even OU v. Texas but with a much smaller audience. The members of each neighborhood cheer on their riders and do everything in their power to distract the opposing neighborhoods horses. Although my neighborhood Porta Crucifera has had the most wins, Porta Sant'Andrea was favored to win and in the end Santo Spirito won the tournament.
I have been in Italy for almost a month now. It will be one month this Friday. The time has just been flying by. It doesn't seem like I have been gone that long yet it also feels like ages since I was in the U.S. I have found myself occasionally forgetting that I am in Italy because I'm finally comfortable with my surroundings. It feels like home; a new home at least. Nothing like my actual home. I miss my cats Kiwi and (soon to be mine) Voodoo. My friends at home keep sending me pictures of Voodoo and it's the worst kind of torture. I love getting pictures of her but I also miss her and my cat Kiwi. Also it doesn't help that everywhere you go in Arezzo, someone has their dog with them. Literally anywhere. Restaurants, the grocery store, a bar. You name it. There will be a dog there.
There have been ups and downs, homesickness and great adventures and I still have three months left here. I talk to friends back in the states regularly and it's hard to describe but when people ask, "Oh my gosh how is Italy?! It must be so amazing," I normally just tell them it's awesome and that I love it. Don't get me wrong I do love being here and it has been incredible so far, but people don't realize that it's just another place where people live. Sure it is more historic than most of America and it's easier to travel to various European countries, but in reality, I am living my life as I normally would, just a few thousand miles away from home. I wake up, go to class, go to my internship, nearly get hit by the stupid cars that drive down the narrow streets, hang out with some friends, then go back to my apartment and prepare myself for the next day. I have gotten over the crazy realization that I am living in Italy. It's normal to me now. There is still a language barrier and I definitely miss some things about being in America, but I have adapted to the lifestyle here.
I am looking forward to the winery visit this Friday and the hike on Saturday that I will be going on with other OU in Arezzo students. It should be a lot of fun and a nice relaxing weekend.
More updates to come later!
Ciao!
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